Girder-carrier.



No. 802,571. PATENTED 00124, 1905.

G. L. KETOHAM.

GIRDER CARRIER.

APPLIGATIONPPILED 1120.15, 1904.

WITNESSES:

rr sTATns PATENT or non.

GIIRIDEIFR-"CARRIIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application filed December 15, 1904. Serial No. 237.014.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CALVIN L. Karol-1AM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Greene and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Girder-Carrier, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a device for handling heavy bridge-girders and depositing them in place upon the structure to which they belong; and it is especially designed for use where it is desirable to avoid delaying traflic by blocking up the main line over the bridge. It is also designed to effect economy in construction, both as to the number of men employed and the time required for accomplishing the placing of the girders. l accomplish these results by carrying the girders between a pair of cars from the side track where all the preliminary work is done to the main track over the bridge and hold the girder suspended over the place in which it is to be set while the false work is removed. Then I lower the girder into its desired position.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a preferred form of my apparatus as it appears when in use. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion thereof; and Fig. 3 is an end view, on an enlarged scale, also showing only a portion of the device.

The drawings represent a pair of flat-cars a, upon which are mounted trusses b. Each of these trusses is secured to the fiat-car by bolts or in any other desired manner, and the rear of each flat-car is preferably provided with spaces (not shown) behind the trusses for the reception of ballast to counterbalance the load to be attached to the other end of the car. These trusses are furnished with struts and ties in any desired manner to provide for the necessary strength, and an especial tie-rod '0 is preferably secured between the upper front corner and the lower rear corner of the truss to add to the strength thereof. Upon the top of each truss is a frame CZ, provided with U- bolts 6 or the like for securing it in any desired position to the top of the truss, so that a rounded beam f upon its front end can be adjusted to project any desired distance from the front of the truss.

Upon a portion of each truss is mounted a Windlass, snub, or the like by means of which a rope, chain, or belt It may be wound up and let out in a manner well understood. This connection 7t passes over the rounded surface of a beam f and back to an eye 11, secured to the under side of the frame (2, by means of which the end of the flexible connection is secured. A tackle-block A; is mounted on the flexible connection 7b of each truss and by means of a hook l is designed to engage the end of a girder m, which is to be transported and placed by the device. As all of these features are mounted upon each of the trusses, it will be readily understood that the opposite ends of the girder can be supported between the two cars at any proper height from the ground and that by pushing the rear car the whole device will be transferred along the tracks in the desired manner.

A pair of safety-rods '22. are provided upon each truss, preferably connected with the beam f and provided with a nut 0 for adjusting purposes. These rods pass down upon the opposite sides of the girder and are secured to a plate 92. underneath the girder for assisting in holding it in the desired position, and when the other parts are secured the safety-rods are adjusted to the proper tension. It will be readily understood that it will be desirable to provide means for coupling the two cars together, so that they can be pulled instead of pushed, and for this purpose each is provided with a hook 79 or other coupling device, and a fall and tackle q is provided for connecting the two hooks together in an obvious manner.

'It is to be understood that many changes may be made in the form of the apparatus illustrated, and that the invention is not limited to that particular form, as the idea may be carried out in many other ways.

In use the girders when received from the factory may be unloaded on a side track, and all preparatory work-such as decking, riveting, reloading, &c.-can be done there without hindering the passage of trains along the main track. Each girder can be kept up at suificient height when being unloaded from the cars on which it is received from the factory so as to render any lifting of it unnecessary in transfer-ing it to my device. When everything is ready, the two cars with an equipment constituting the embodiment of my invention are brought onto the side track and separated about the distance of the length of a girder, and then the girder is suspended be tween them by the use of the hoisting device in shipment.

g. It is to be understood that a power-driven hoisting device can be employed instead of one operated by hand; but one of the important features of my invention is that no power device is necessary.

If all the work to be done in taking the cars to the bridge-site is to push' them along in one direction, this can then be done; but if any pulling is to be done the cars could be coupled together by falls and tackles or otherwise, as stated. The cars are then taken to the position in which the girder is to be applied, and the latter is suspended directly over the masonry on which it is to be placed, with a car on either side of the opening. The false work is then cut loose or allowed to fall or taken out in any desired manner, or if it is a case of replacing a light girder with a heavier one the old one can be quickly pulled or jacked aside on false work previously arranged. The new girder is then lowered to position with ties and guard-rails all complete ready for the track-rails.

Several of the advantages of my invention have been set forth above, and, in addition, it

may be stated that girders of any length may be ordered from the factory with all rivets driven ready for masonry without any additional expense and with little risk of damage lVith my invention bridges of this character can be placed in position in onetenth of the time that is requiredv in old methods and with a corresponding reduction in expense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination with a pair of cars spaced apart, of a truss on each car and a hoisting device mounted on each truss; said hoisting devices being adapted to support a girder between the cars, and a safety device mounted on each truss and adapted to engage the girder.

2. The combination with a pair of cars spaced apart, of a truss on each car, and a hoisting device mounted on each truss; said hoisting devices each comprising a fall and tackle suspended from a truss, and a Windlass for operating said fall and tackle.

3. The combination with a pair of cars spaced apart, of a truss secured to each car, a

frame adjustably mounted at the upper part of each truss, and a hoisting device suspended from the end of each frame, said hoisting devices being adapted to engage and support a girder between the cars.

4. The combination with a pair of cars spaced apart, of a truss secured to each car, a frame adjustably mounted at the upper part of each truss, and a hoisting device suspended from the end of each frame, said hoisting devices being adapted to engage and support a girder between the cars in such position that the ends of the girder will abut against the ends of the cars, whereby the two cars and girder may be moved along a track by pushing from the rear of one of the cars.

5. The combination with a pair of cars spaced apart, of a truss secured to each car, a frame adjustably mounted at the upper part of each truss, and a hoisting device suspended from the end of each frame, said hoisting devices being adapted to engage and support a girder between the cars; said frame being provided with a rounded beam over which the hoisting device is adapted to pass, and means on each of the trusses for controlling the hoisting devices.

6. The combination with a pair of cars spaced apart, of a hoisting device on each car, said hoisting devices being adapted to engage and suspend an article between the cars, and a safety device mounted on each car and adapted to engage the article suspended by the hoisting devices. said hoisting devices each comprising a fall and tackle.

7. The combination with a pair of cars spaced apart, of a hoisting device on each car,

said hoisting devices being adapted to engage and suspend an article between the cars, and means for coupling the cars together and securing the article to be transported, between them.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CALVIN L. KETCHAM.

Witnesses:

L. E. MARTIN, E. C. VAN VALKENRURG. 

